Deathrow inmate awaits clemency ruling

Stanley Tookie Williams

SAN FRANCISCO - California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has still to decide whether to grant clemency to former Crips gang leader Stanley Tookie Williams, who is slated to be executed on Wednesday night (NZT) for murdering four people in 1979.

Officials will administer a lethal injection to Williams in the death chamber at San Quentin State Prison.

The case has generated widespread interest and fierce debate over the death penalty in the US because Williams, 51, has written books warning young people against gangs and says he has found redemption.

His supporters have said he should be spared so he can continue his anti-gang work from behind bars.

The Governor's office gave no indication of when Schwarzenegger would make a decision. He said the decision was a "heavy responsibility" and he was carefully studying all sides of the issue.

- REUTERS